


coast to coast

by poiregourmande



Category: Buzzfeed - Fandom
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Multi, discutable use of buzzfeed resources
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 12:38:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16765318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poiregourmande/pseuds/poiregourmande
Summary: Fuck if Eric with a goal isn’t a goddamn force of nature.Christian's into Eric. Eric's into Aria. Aria and Fernando are fuckbuddies and open to pretty much anything.It's up to Christian to make something happen.





	coast to coast

Fuck if Eric with a goal isn’t a goddamn force of nature.

Christian watches as he texts with a mischievous grin on his face. This is probably Eric’s latest plan to seduce Aria – a colleague, yeah, but one that lives on the other side of the country.    
  
Christian wishes he were this driven, this shameless when it comes to flirting. Maybe this way Eric would notice he just has to look to the next desk instead of the next coast.    
  
As it is, Eric’s texting Aria for help on editing his naked body – as if Christian weren’t three feet away with years of editing experience.    
  
“Oh shit,” Eric says, shoving his phone in Christian’s face. “It’s working! What do I do? What do I do?!”   
  
Christian has to go crossed-eye to see the phone an inch from his face but he manages to make out that Aria’s asking for the actual footage, to see what he can do.    
  
“Damn, he’s good,” Christian mutters. “I mean, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” he tells Eric.    
  
“Yeah, you’re right.”   
  
Now, Christian had meant  _ send him the vid and then when he sees and enjoys the full-frontal images of your dick go all-in and flirt for your life  _ but Eric is straight-up on his laptop looking for flights to LA.    
  
“What the hell are you doing?”   
  
“Think I can get the office to pay for this?”   
  
Christian sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “You know what, sure. Just tell them you’re making _ I Flew Across The Country To Bone Someone I Met Once _ or something.”   
  
“Be serious, Christian, they won’t pay for that. We need to find a plausible reason for them to send us to LA.”   
  
“Us?”    
  
“Oh. Yeah, my bad, I thought since you’re so much more serious than I am, they’d be more likely to go for it.”   
  
Now, what exactly possessed Christian to go along with Eric on his fuck journey, he couldn’t say. The only thing he can focus on is the six hour flight alone with Eric.    
  
With a horny Eric, nonetheless.    
  
The bright smile on Eric’s face when Christian says he’s in, and the tight hug Eric gives him more than make up for Christian’s apprehensions.    
  
“Dude, you’re the best!” Eric exclaims, muffled into Christian’s shoulder.    
  
They brainstorm all afternoon, until Eric’s shaking with caffeine and Christian feels like his brain’s been pulled through the wringer and they finally come up with:  _ NYC vs LA: Who’s Friendliest? _ __   
  
From there it’s only a matter of getting it approved, and it seems like the stars are aligned: Christian has never had less trouble to get a project greenlit. They buy plane tickets and Eric finally texts Aria:  _ actually I’m gonna be in town this weekend if you wanna look at the footage together _ __   
  
This is bold, even for Eric, but Aria immediately answers:  _ can’t wait!  _ with a winky face emoji. Looks like bold works on him – even though that sounds crazy to Christian, an avid proponent of the  __ keep all your feelings buried inside until you either implode or go on a cross-country trip with your crush so he can fuck someone else  method.   
  
Christian meets Eric at the airport the next day, ready to pine in silence and ask himself what he’s doing there, but something happens that sort of throws a wrench in that plan.    
  
Eric is happy.    
  
Eric is just so psyched, talking a mile a minute, not only about Aria, but also about their video, about how much fun they’re gonna have together, and oh.    
  
This is the Eric Christian fell in love with. The unshutuppable, freaking sunshine of a man who sent a wrecking ball straight into Christian’s old grumpy heart.    
  
Eric talks and talks on their way to their gate, and Christian wonders how obvious his smittenness is. Somehow, he doesn’t care.    
  
“Are you okay?” Eric asks after they board. “Usually you’d have told me to calm down like ten minutes ago. That I talk too much.”   
  
Christian tries to hide a fond smile. “I guess I’m feeling generous today. Don’t get used to it,” he adds, utterly failing at his usual gruff tone.    
  
Eric beams and settles into his seat, looking out the window – Christian let him have the window seat, of course. It’s been proven time and time again that he’d do anything to get a smile out of Eric.    
  
Most people, when they first meet Eric, wonder if he ever runs out of things to say.    
  
Christian finds the answer three hours into the flight when Eric finally shuts up and yawns. Five minutes later he’s asleep, and his head drops to Christian’s shoulder. It’s just the right height so his neck’s not too crooked, and for the first time, Christian’s grateful to be so tall.    
  
He takes advantage of the silence to get a bit of work done on his tablet, soothed by the steady rhythm of Eric’s breathing next to his ear. It sends shivers down his spine, but he ignores it. He’s been steadily becoming a champ at ignoring stuff in the past months – his giant crush on his coworker; Eric when he talks too much; untimely erections at work…

They land in sunny California – a stark contrast to the grim almost-winter they just left in New York. Christian shakes Eric softly to wake him up. 

“Mmmgoingon?” Eric mumbles before he even opens his eyes, and oh no. That’s too cute. 

“We’re landing, sleepyhead.” Christian sounds entirely too fond, but he’s counting on Eric being too sleepy to notice. 

Eric clings to Christian’s arm and buries closer into his neck. “Five more minutes…”

And really, how could Christian say no? The aisles are crowded with people pushing to get out anyway – there’s nowhere to go. 

He gathers all his courage and puts an arm around Eric’s shoulders, beaming as he feels Eric settle in even closer. It takes everything Christian’s got not to kiss the top of his head at that moment. 

***

In the cab to the hotel, Eric texts Aria that they made it safely and they arrange to meet for drinks after they’ve settled in. 

“I can stay here, if you want,” Christian offers. “I know you… have plans with Aria.”

“You didn’t come all the way to LA to stay in our room!” Eric exclaims like Christian’s spouting nonsense. “Anyway, Aria’s bringing Fernando along, it’s a double date!”

“I don’t even know Fernando. Oh god, are you trying to set me up?”

“No, I mean you and I… Aria and Fernando. Double date.”

“You and I aren’t dating.” Christian says, and at once, the two of them start flushing. Why is  _ Eric  _ turning red? He doesn’t wanna date Christian, he’s here for Aria!

Christian clears his throat. “I – um. Gonna take a quick shower. Plane smell, y’know.”

“Have fun,” Eric says, and Christian is left wondering if he means anything by that or if it’s just one of these  _ Eric _ things he says. 

He takes the quickest, most nervous of showers, singing nonsense under his breath just so he can turn his brain off and stop thinking. 

Stop thinking about how only a wall separates his wet, naked body from Eric. 

Stop thinking about the feeling of Eric cuddling him on the plane. 

Stop thinking about Eric calling it a double date. 

Stop thinking about the fact that ultimately the real reason they’re in LA is so Eric can screw Aria. 

Visibly, it’s not working. 

He turns the shower off with a sigh, towels himself dry and realizes that in his haste to escape the awkwardness he didn’t take clean clothes into the bathroom with him. 

Hoping Eric won’t take this as a come on, he wraps a towel around his waist and comes out into the dry, cool air of the bedroom. He tries to stay as covered as possible while bending for his suitcase, pulling on the very first clothes he finds. 

Turns out Eric was too busy trying Instagram filters on his phone to even notice what was happening. 

Christian sits gingerly on his bed, waiting. Eric finally pockets his phone and crosses the room. He pulls at his shirt to sniff it, leaning all up into Christian’s face. 

“Do you think I need to change? I don’t think I smell like plane, what do you think?”

He’s entirely too close, and there’s so much happening in Christian’s head – Eric is right there, Christian could just reach out and touch him, or just like, kiss his stomach, or pull him on top of him on the bed, and he needs to keep all of that in check – he can’t really focus on what Eric smells like. 

He manages a weak “this is a Spongebob shirt.”

“So?”

“For a –“ the word sticks in his throat – “date?”

“Fine,” Eric sighs, but Christian didn’t think this through. 

Eric takes off his shirt.

But he does so half a second before stepping away from Christian. 

Skin. 

So much of it. 

Christian bullshits his way through Eric showing each of the shirts he brought and asking his opinion even though he can’t pay attention to anything that isn’t Eric’s skin and lithe frame. He thought it’d be scrawny, but no. He’s filled out quite a bit since he started boxing. 

It would probably be better for Christian’s poor heart if he were scrawny. 

As it is they settle for a light blue button-down and Christian catches his breath once it’s all buttoned up. He manages to be a somewhat functional human on their way to the bar, his own arousal and crush-related anxiety taking a backseat to Eric who’s getting quite fidgety. 

“Do you think it’s weird?”

“What is?”

“Just.” Eric shrugs. “Y’know. Taking a plane across the country for…” He does a weird thing with his hands that doesn’t really mean anything, or if it does, Christian doesn’t wanna know.

“Technically, Aria thinks it’s for work.”

“He’s with Fernando. Nando’s like, crazy good at reading into things. He hundred percent told Aria I’m coming over to screw him.”

“So?”

Eric blushes. “I don’t want him to know that!”

“You were ready to send him footage of your naked body.”

“It’s – it’s different in person.”

“Yeah…”

“Plus, there’s other… variables to consider.” Eric cuts his eyes at Christian in a strange way, and Christian’s about to ask but they reach the bar and he forgets as they scramble out of the car. 

Aria pushes off the wall where he was waiting and hugs Eric tightly. He also hugs Christian, even though they’ve literally never talked before. 

“So happy to finally meet you! You know, Eric wouldn’t shut up about you the last time he was in town. I told him he had to bring you along next time.”

Christian laughs self-consciously, trying not to show how much this means to him. “I’m here, haha,” he says with a weird little jazz-hands gesture, mentally kicking himself for being so lame. 

“Are you alone?” Eric asks, peeking behind Aria’s shoulder like he could hide an entire Fernando behind him. 

“Nando’s late, of course,” he winks. “He texted me  _ five minutes!  _ five minutes ago so he should be here in ten.”

They get in and find a table, and Aria orders for Fernando. It seems like they know each other pretty well, and Christian wonders why Fernando’s accompanying Aria to see his potential hookup. 

Maybe Fernando’s pining in secret like Christian. Maybe they really do think Eric’s just here for work. 

Fernando finally joins them, drains half his vodka soda with a groan about his  _ bitch of a day let’s get turnt! _ and kisses both Aria and Eric on the cheek to greet them. He stops in front of Christian, standing up straighter, and Christian, heart squeezing, recognizes the signs of someone wanting to appear non-threatening in front of a potentially straight man.

“Sup,” Fernando says, but Christian pulls him into a hug – a way to say  _ I’m one of yours _ . 

He can feel tension leaving Fernando, and his step is lighter as he goes back to his seat – almost into Aria’s lap, his feet up on the booth. 

“Nice to meet you,” he tells Christian, fiddling with his straw. “Heard a lot about you,” he adds, eyes cutting meaningfully between Eric and Christian.

There it is again. Somehow, while Christian is here to, what? support his buddy? play the wingman? on his way to fuck Aria, Fernando and Aria seem to be rooting for him to get with Eric. 

It seems like his life has suddenly decided to follow the plot of a soap opera. Or maybe an episode of Glee. God, he hopes not – he can’t sing to save his life. 

Aria’s leaning closer into Fernando and Eric doesn’t seem fazed by this. Christian can’t help asking – this whole thing is already too damn weird, what’s a little more awkwardness?

“So, are you two together?”

“Not exactly,” Aria says, but doesn’t explain. 

“You seem pretty close.” 

“We’re fuck buddies,” Fernando says, like there’s nothing to it. 

Maybe it’s an LA thing. 

Eric doesn’t react, and Christian wonders if he already knew this. And then it occurs to him that maybe that’s his endgame with Aria. Nothing more. 

He rewinds the day in his head, and without the lens of Eric’s crush on Aria distorting his judgment, he must admit… it looks like his feelings for Eric might not be entirely unrequited. 

But like. 

Is Eric really that liberated? Is he the type to be pursuing two guys at the same time?

He  _ is  _ almost ten years younger, and who knows what The Youths are up to, these days?

“What about you two?” Aria asks with a smirk, looking between the two of them. 

“Did Christian finally get his head out of his ass?” Fernando asks with a shit-eating grin, and oh. 

Eric’s blushing. Obstinately avoiding Christian’s gaze. 

Christian looks from him to Aria, who gives a tiny nod of encouragement. 

All in, then. 

Christian leans back in his chair, resting an arm on the back of Eric’s seat. 

“No,” he tell Fernando, “but now that you mention it…” 

He lets his knuckles graze Eric’s back, delighting in the way he’s leaning against him. 

Eric turns to look at him like  _ yeah? _ and Christian nods, eyebrows raised like  _ duh _ and Eric pulls his chair closer to him, leaning back so that Christian’s arm is around his shoulders. 

It’s not one of these big gestures that changes everything, sealed with a passionate kiss. But it’s a sweet togetherness that’s been waiting to come out for a while now, and it just feels right.

Aria and Fernando look on fondly, and Eric raises his glass. “To new beginnings,” he says, and it’s a bit cliché, but the gesture is sweet and damn if that’s not Eric in a nutshell. 

He’s aware that Eric is also looking hopefully at Aria while saying it, but he doesn’t feel jealous about it. Eric’s amazing and frankly, he deserves all the love and all the fun he can get. And if Christian’s honest with himself, Aria and Fernando are both pretty cute. He absolutely wouldn’t mind seeing where this is going. 

One drink turns into two turns into three, and someone – probably Fernando – suggests they go out dancing. Christian grumbles a bit, to live up to his grumpy old man reputation, but truth be told, the thought of seeing these three gorgeous bodies dancing in dim lighting is pretty damn appealing right now. 

The night doesn’t disappoint. It takes Christian two more drinks when they get to the club before joining the others on the dance floor. The boys are loose-limbed and happy and something coils in the pit of his stomach when he sees Aria’s fingers curled around Eric’s hips. Aria raises his eyebrows at him like  _ is this okay? _ and Christian only has time to nod before being pulled flush against Fernando, who sways to the beat, arms wrapped around his neck. 

It’s hot in here, isn’t it? Christian’s ears are burning and Fernando’s pants look painted on. Christian doesn’t know the song. He doesn’t know any of the music playing, but he knows Fernando dances like an entire sin. 

But then he looks up and, well, fuck. Aria and Eric are wrapped around each other, grinding like they’re in a music video. They both have this look on their face like they’re two seconds away from fucking. Christian’s pants, who were already starting to feel constricting from Fernando’s dancing, are now squeezing him like a garrote. He feels like he might explode any second now. 

“Should we get out of here?” he whispers in Fernando’s ear, feeling bolder than he ever did before.

It’s easier to feel bold with Fernando, who he barely knows and might never see again, than it would be with Eric. 

He’s too close to Eric to ever be able to be casual with him. It’s easier with Aria and Fernando here with them – and what does it say about Christian’s emotional inability that a foursome is simpler than just telling his best friend he’s in love with him?

Fernando gives a self-satisfied smirk, cocking up an eyebrow like  _ I knew you would break _ . 

“Let’s,” he answers in Christian’s ear, flicking his tongue at his earlobe. 

He pulls back and jerk his head towards Aria and Eric, raising his eyebrows in question. 

Christian can only nod. There’s bold, and then there’s  _ propositioning your best friend and two near-strangers for a foursome _ . He’s not sure he’s there yet, and so he’s fine with letting Fernando take the lead. 

Fernando grins and presses against Aria’s back, speaking in his ear. Christian sways nervously with the music as he waits, hoping it’s not too obvious he’s sporting a desperate boner. 

Aria nods and says something in Eric’s ear, and Eric immediately snaps up to look at Christian. They have a telepathic conversation made of nods and eyebrows and smiles that goes a bit like  _ what, like, you mean… / yeah, you in? / hell yeah, but are you sure? with them? / 100%.  _

Aria pulls them through the crowd and out the door like a train, holding hands so they don’t get separated. Eric’s hand is warm and a bit clammy in Christian’s. Christian wants to ask if he’s nervous, but he doesn’t feel like unpacking his own anxiety, so he just grips his hand firmer and hopes for the best. 

Eric trusts these guys. Christian trusts Eric. This should be fun. 

When they get out, Aria types on his phone and then says, “Uber should be here in ten.”

“Alright, then, we got time.” Fernando grabs Eric’s hand and guides him into the alley next to the club. 

Christian only has time to see Fernando pin Eric to the wall before Aria turns him around to face him. Aria stands on his tiptoes, but with the assurance of someone towering over him, he runs a finger down Christian’s beard. 

“Is this okay? I don’t wanna assume. I know you and Eric…”

“Eric wants this.”

“But what do  _ you _ want?”

The pounding of the bass still thrums through his veins, Fernando’s perfume lingers on his clothes, and Aria’s gaze is dizzying.

“All of this.”

“You don’t seem like the type to hook up with strangers.”

“Eric likes you. You don’t count as a stranger.”

“Do you really want your first time with him to be a foursome?”

This is the first time they’ve acknowledged exactly what they left the club for, and Christian’s mouth goes dry. He pulls Aria closer, makes him feel how hard he is – how hard he’s been since Fernando danced upon him. “Enough questions,” he says simply as a car approaches. 

Aria shoots him an appreciative smile and gives him a tease of a kiss, feather-soft and gone in a flash, before climbing into the car. 

Eric and Fernando emerge from the alley and Fernando follows Aria into the car. Eric is still adjusting his clothes, smoothing down wrinkles and uselessly trying to give his wild hair a semblance of decentness when he stops next to Christian. 

“Everything good?”

Christian pulls him into a kiss. Soft and full of promises. “Never better.”


End file.
